🏗 I bought 100% ILLEGAL storage units for profit...

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Hello Fellow Engineers!

This week, we’re diving into engineering wonders like the Three Gorges Dam, the most epic power plant on Earth (and a little planet-slowing flex).

You’ll also find a Reddit rabbit hole on 12th-century water tech, a “bridge” that forgot how to bridge, and a chance to win a Waifu-wrapped Toyota Corolla! Yeah, you read that right.

Let’s dive into it 👇

🎉 A Huge Thanks to Everyone Who Entered This Week’s Giveaway! 🎉

The wait is over, and the cauldron has spoken! This week, two lucky winners are about to channel their inner alchemist with a copy of Potion Craft! 🧪

Big congratulations to...:

• jjschi

• loggiesdoggies

👏👏 Check your emails for your keys and start brewing some magical concoctions! Just don’t drink the one labeled “architect tears.”

For everyone else, don’t worry—another giveaway is bubbling away for next week! Keep an eye out and make sure to vote in today’s poll for your chance to win. Who knows? You might be the next name on the scroll! 🎮

👷‍♂️ Truss Me, I’m an Engineer…

The Three Gorges Dam

This week’s engineering masterpiece, submitted by one of you (because engineers actually listen to input—unlike architects who just scribble on napkins and call it “genius”), is none other than the Three Gorges Dam.

Let’s break it down: this beast is 2.3 kilometers long, 185 meters tall, and holds back 39.3 billion cubic meters of water. To put that in perspective, that’s enough water to drown the dreams of every architect who thought their glass tower was impressive. And it’s not just big—it’s brilliant. The dam generates a jaw-dropping 22,500 megawatts of power, making it the world’s largest hydroelectric power station. Basically, this thing could light up half a country.

Engineering Flex #1: The dam contains 27.2 million cubic meters of concrete. That’s enough to pave a highway from Earth to the Moon.

Engineering Flex #2: The sheer weight of the water behind the dam is so immense, it’s been found to slow the Earth’s rotation ever so slightly. Yes, engineers are out here casually tweaking planetary physics!

Engineering Flex #3: It’s not just about size—this dam has massive flood control capabilities, protecting millions of people downstream from catastrophic flooding. Let’s be real, would you trust an architect with that responsibility? Exactly.

Oh, and did we mention the ship locks? The dam features five-tier ship locks and even a massive ship lift capable of moving vessels up and down the dam like they’re in a water-based version of an elevator. Show me an architect who can design something that practical. Spoiler: you can’t.

So there you have it: a structure that powers cities, saves lives, and laughs in the face of gravity. 

Keep submitting your picks for engineering greatness, and let’s keep celebrating the brains that actually build the world. Architects? You can sit this one out. Again.

⚡ Cool Links

🌊 The insane engineering of raising water in the 12th century.
12th-century engineers were out here defying gravity... kinda. Reddit’s buzzing over a video on ancient water-raising tech, but some commenters claim most of the water didn’t even make it to the top—leaked out the bottom like a bad coffee mug. Still, cool tech for the time!

🃏 Why is this everyone's Game of the Year?
Imagine finding your Game of the Year at the literal last minute. That’s me with Balatro, which I discovered on December 31st, and wow—what a ride. Part 1's here, and it’s already a banger

🤯 The grid in the Cities Skylines pause menu isn't properly aligned…
Breaking news: Cities Skylines II officially unplayable. The pause menu grid isn’t aligned, and honestly, how can we build a functioning city when this exists?

⚡ Stock up on Gamer Supps with 10% off
A FREE Waifu-wrapped Toyota Corolla could be yours! Yep, Gamer Supps is giving away the ultimate anime flex. Imagine rolling up in this masterpiece. Don’t just sit there—enter now before someone else drives it away!

🐕‍🦺 Paddy’s Corner

Paddy defends owner from dangerous garden tool!

Forget superheroes—Paddy is here to save the day!

Watch as my fearless dog valiantly defends me from the terrifying menace of... a lawn trimmer.

Don't miss his Oscar-worthy performance in Paddy Defends Owner from Dangerous Garden Tool! 

👾 Indie Game of the Week:

Ever wanted to own a Christmas tree drenched in grime or bid on a treasure chest that might hold a whole dead body?

In Storage Hunter Simulator, chaos reigns supreme as you fix, sell, and profit from the oddest items abandoned in storage units.

Legendary katanas? Check.

Mystery safes? Double-check.

It's Tetris meets treasure hunting with a dash of physics-defying hilarity.

Stop scrolling—buy it now on Steam HERE before someone else snags your legendary money-filled briefcase!

Check out my video on it below 👇

It’s time for a Bridge Review!

The Elastic Perspective—a bridge that bridges… absolutely nothing. As engineers, we love a structure that serves a practical purpose. So, when faced with this endless loop of rusted steel, we have to ask: “Why?” and then, "No, really, why?"

This so-called "bridge" loops on itself like it’s trying to escape its architect. Inspired by the Moebius ring, it has no top, no bottom, and no clear way to use it—much like the career path of whoever signed off on this design.

Let’s give credit where it’s due: the structure’s engineering is undeniably clever, twisting and folding in on itself without collapsing into a heap of rust and regrets. And sure, the illusion changes depending on where you’re standing, which is great for photographers… but less great for anyone trying to do something useful.

In the end, this isn’t a bridge—it’s a philosophical question about perspective, built out of metal. And as far as practical engineering goes, it bridges the gap between "cool sculpture" and "bridge," landing squarely on "neither."

Score: 2.7/10

It gets some points for structural ingenuity, but loses a lot for forgetting the point of a bridge: to cross something.

🏗 r/realcivilengineer Spotlight

The mods are working overtime here for u/tolucophoto’s submission of the strongest pool float!

🤔 Thoughts from an Engineer